Zip Rail Study Area, image via goziprail.org. Larger image available here.Zip Rail is the proposed high-speed passenger rail service between Rochester and the Twin Cities.  A train on the proposed rail would travel at speeds of 150-220+ mph. Traveling at these speeds will make it Minnesota’s first true high-speed rail line. The line would be approximately 100 miles in length, allowing for a trip from Rochester to St. Paul to be taken in a relatively short amount of time. Because the rail line would be an exclusive track it would have greater flexibility in schedule and allow it to travel at more efficient speeds. 

As of the end of May, 2013 the Olmsted County Regional Railroad Authority, in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration, is preparing a Tier I Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate potential passenger rail alternatives for the Rochester - Twin Cities High-Speed Passenger Rail Corridor between Rochester and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA).

A first round of public information meetings are taking place early June 2013.

More information can be found at goziprail.org.

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